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WORLD NEWS Saturday 4 February 2017

US Defense chief Mattis reassures Japan, South Korea

ROBERT BURNS ress by North Korea toward
AP National Security Writer developing a ballistic mis-
TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Defense sile capable of carrying a
Secretary Jim Mattis on Fri- nuclear warhead and hit-
day reassured two key U.S. ting the U.S.
treaty allies, South Korea “North Korea continues
and Japan, that President to launch missiles, devel-
Donald Trump, who has op its nuclear weapons
raised doubts about the program, and engage in
value of such partnerships, threatening rhetoric and
is fully committed to de- behavior,” Mattis said.
fending them. “We stand with our peace-
“I want there to be no mis- loving Republic of Korea
understanding during the ally to maintain stabil-
transition in Washington ity on the peninsula and
that we stand firmly, 100 in the region,” he added.
percent shoulder-to-shoul- “America’s commitments
der with you and the Japa- to defending our allies and
nese people,” Mattis told to upholding our extended
Japanese Prime Minister deterrence guarantees re-
Shinzo Abe. main ironclad: Any attack
Earlier in the day, in Seoul, on the United States, or
with his South Korean our allies, will be defeated,
counterpart, Han Min Koo, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, shake and any use of nuclear
at his side, Mattis said, “the hands at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. In an explicit warning to North weapons would be met
United States stands by Korea, U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis on Friday said any use of nuclear weapons by the North on with a response that would
the United States or its allies would be met with what he called an “effective and overwhelming”
its commitments, and we response. be effective and over-
stand with our allies, the (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool) whelming.”
South Korean people.” U.S. defense secretaries
He also explicitly warned Jan. 20. He said he chose would not rule out aban- missiles, might acquire their have long offered assur-
nuclear
weapons
to go to Japan and South
doning signatories, includ-
own
North Korea against using ances to South Korea and
a nuclear weapon, say- Korea first in order to dem- ing Japan, if they refuse to rather than rely on U.S. de- Japan that the American
pay more for their defense. terrence.
onstrate that nothing will
ing such an act would be nuclear “umbrella” will
met with a response that is weaken the U.S. security He also suggested that In Seoul on Friday, Mat- protect them, but Mattis’s
South Korea and Japan, tis was firm in stating that
promises.
“effective and overwhelm- statement in Seoul was
ing.” During the last year’s U.S. which are already within Washington will not waver perhaps more pointed
presidential
campaign,
the range of North Korean in the face of defiant prog-
These were the only two than some.q
stops on Mattis’s first over- Trump complained that
defense treaties disadvan-
seas trip since taking office
taged the U.S. and that he
Seoul: North Korea fired security chief
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — record of tracking devel-
North Korea fired its state opments in North Korea as
security minister last month, information about the se-
presumably over corrup- cretive, authoritarian state
tion, abuse of power and is often impossible to con-
torture committed by his firm.
agency, the government Since taking power in late
of rival South Korea said Fri- 2011, Kim Jong Un has ex-
day. ecuted or purged a slew
The sacking of Kim Won of high-level government
Hong, who had been seen officials in what the South
as close to leader Kim Jong Korean government has
Un, might cause instability described as a “reign of
in the country’s leadership terror.”
by causing more fear in The most spectacular
the ruling elite, said Jeong among them was the 2013
Joon Hee, spokesman for execution of his uncle, Jang
Seoul’s Unification Ministry. Song Thaek, once consid-
North Korea has not said ered the country’s second
anything about Kim Wong most powerful man, for
Hong, and Jeong did not what the North alleged
say how South Korea ob- was treason. The South’s
tained the information. government has said the
There’s a possibility that Kim North also executed a vice
Won Hong will face stron- premier for education in
ger punishment as the in- 2016 for unspecified anti-
vestigation into his actions revolutionary and factional
is ongoing, Jeong said. acts, and a defense minis-
South Korea has a spotty ter in 2015 for treason.q